


Of Witches And Bagels

by iamee



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Falling In Love, Humor, Kink Meme, M/M, Pining, Radio, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-06
Updated: 2013-04-06
Packaged: 2017-12-07 15:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/750237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamee/pseuds/iamee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin has a late night radio show called 'Lovesick'. Arthur doesn't get that his problems with his new stepmum aren't Merlin's usual topic. So he keeps calling night after night. Merlin is amused and perhaps a little relieved about the distraction. But it would be so stupid to fall in love with a voice over the telephone, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Witches And Bagels

**Author's Note:**

> Another repost from my LJ and from the kinkmeme. So really old stuff basically.

**Of Witches And Bagels**

 

`~ June 26th ~`

 

_ring ring_

"And here's another call, ladies and gentlemen." Merlin pushed the receive-button. "It might be late, but it's never too late to talk about heartache." 

Once again he was glad that this was a radio show and he wasn't on local television right now. At least no one could see how he rolled his eyes every time he had to recite this incredible trashy line.

"You've reached _Lovesick_ , my name is Merlin, what can I do for you tonight?"

"She did it again."

Merlin felt the corners of his mouth moving upwards.

"Arthur?"

"I can't believe she did it again, she _knows_ I hate her stupid book club!" The man on the other line was snorting. "I mean... a bunch of pre-menopause-ish ladies, sitting in our living room, drinking wine and discussing Salman Rushdie? I don't think so..."

"Sounds horrible." Merlin agreed politely, tipping against his coffee mug with a pen and leaning back in his chair. This could take awhile.

Arthur groaned: "That's not even the worst part." It sounded like he'd got up from his chair and was pacing through his room. "Do you want to hear the worst part?"

"Sure." 

There was a smile in his voice, Merlin was totally aware of it, but Arthur didn't seem to recognize it. But then again, he never did. He was always so wrapped up in his anger towards this woman, Morgana. His father's new girlfriend. The wolf in sheep's clothing. The devil incarnate. At the minimum.

 

"So she's pretty much the stepmother from hell, huh?" Merlin had asked the first time the poor boy had called, just about two months ago. He had known damn well that he should tell him that this wasn't exactly the kind of problem he was used to deal with. That this was a line for all the heartbroken, newbie- or still involuntary singles out there, people who were... well "Lovesick", right?  
Arthur's answer had been dry, but somewhat serious: "Oh, she's worse, mate. She's worse."  
And Merlin hadn't been able to contradict him. Or cut him off line, for that matter.

 

"So what's the worst part, Arthur?" He resumed their talk, glancing up to the wall clock. Still enough time left to kill, before he could go home and fall into his bed while the city would start to awake.

"She made me serve sandwiches." There was a crunching noise, that made Merlin worry for Arthur's teeth. "Can you believe that? _Me_! Serving goddamn sandwiches to these people, as if I'm some kind of butler, they can tease and shoo and..." He drew breath. "And my father is crazy about her. God, I hate my life."

"And yet you're bearing up like a real man." Merlin grinned, before he bit his lower lip.

Just because it was late at night didn't mean there wasn't anyone listening and he was almost sure it wouldn't be that well received when he made fun of his callers. Even if they were as amusing as this specimen.

But he didn't need to worry, Arthur was still totally engaged with the terrible afternoon he had had and his first complaint was followed by a lengthy speech on the general unfairness that was his daily routine.  
All that Merlin had to do was to add "Ah no, she didn't!", and "Oh, really?" from time to time until the babble would stop eventually and Arthur would utter his standard sigh: "It's really good to talk to you, Merlin."

"That's my job." Merlin would reply. Just as usual.

And just as usual he would lean closer to the micro, his tongue flickering over his front teeth for a second, while he would try to find the right words to tell Arthur that he couldn't call him anymore. That he was taking away time that was reserved for people with _real_ problems. But he never did. He told himself it wasn't the right time. Night after night the moment was inconvenient, the timing was bad, the mood wasn't perfect. There was always a lame excuse to open his mouth and wish this silly boy a good night instead, in the knowledge that he would call again tomorrow night. And the night after that.   
Merlin knew he should tell him to back off, he really did. But somewhere deep down he also knew that he wouldn't. 

"It's really good to talk to you, Merlin." Arthur said, and for a moment Merlin found himself taken aback, because he hadn't realized that they were already at the end of tonight's conversation.

"Yeah... no problem." He replied in the end, feeling somewhat out of place.

It was quiet on the other end of the phone. Maybe Arthur had already hung up. No, he could still hear his breathing, calming down slowly. Not for the first time he wondered how his caller might look like. Aside from the fact that every word which seemed to pass his lips was kinda immature and occasionally very arrogant, his voice was rather pleasant... 

"Merlin?"

He really should pull himself together, before things would start to get more embarrassing than they already were...

"Yes, Arthur?"

"Are you all right?" The words came hesitantly, like Arthur wasn't entirely sure why he was even asking.

He wasn't definitely the only one to be surprised by his actions. It required another second for Merlin to decide how he should react. Of course, it was his job to create some kind of connection to his callers, but it was obvious that it was always about _them_. Their problems, their needs, their lives.

"I'm fine," he found himself saying eventually even if he wasn't sure this was the truth.

"It's just..." he could hear Arthur clicking his tongue. "Don't know... something about you... tonight..." Before Merlin had the chance to respond somehow properly, Arthur continued. "Listen, it's almost three o'clock, I really gotta go. Talk to you soon."

_click_

Merlin shook his head to clear his mind. Sometimes he really thought he should find another job, with decent working hours and without morons who were messing up his show...

 

`~ June 27th ~`

 

_ring, ring_

"And that was Jamie, thanks for your story. Let's see who's next." The button was warm under Merlin's thumb. "Here we go, I'm Merlin and this is _Lovesi-_ "

"Merlin, it's me."

"You sound awful, Arthur."

"I feel awful," he countered. "Morgana turfed me out of bed at ten, saying she had to hoover. Seriously, who does that on a Sunday morning? This woman is trying to kill me, for sure. Why would she do that otherwise?"

Merlin chuckled: "Maybe to clean your room?"

God, how old was that guy anyway? It was quite possible that he hadn't cleaned for months, it wasn't that hard to relate to that girl for wanting a neat home.

"She wants me to suffer, that's why! And... and isn't that some sort of sexual harassment? I mean I wasn't even wearing a shirt and she just walked in. Isn't there some way to sue her?"

Merlin wanted to burst into laughter, he really, really did. But somehow he couldn't ignore the images which were rising in his mind. Arthur... meaning: the way he pictured him. Shirtless. In bed. With tousled hair and sleepy eyes...

"Guh..."

"Yeah, I thought so. Too bad, it would be such a nice way to get rid of her."

This was starting to get ridiculous. Merlin didn't even know the guy and nevertheless he had a hard time to breathe right now, which was so goddamn stupid. He wasn't his type, for god's sake. He was a prat, although a rather entertaining one and for all he knew he could be some kind of freak...

"Why don't you move out, already?" Merlin asked, taking a big gulp of coffee to drown the fluttering feeling in his stomach.

When Arthur answered, there was a special tone in his voice, like he was explaining something to someone for the umpteenth time: "Merlin, you _know_ I'm working part time in this coffee shop, the Happy Bagel, remember? Making enough money so I can go to university next year. I can't just move out like that."

Or maybe he didn't want to. Maybe he was somehow enjoying all this so-called torment he was facing every day. In the beginning, when the calls had started, Merlin had had the feeling that Arthur wasn't totally sure how he felt about Morgana in the first place. Merlin was almost convinced that he was in love with her and that all this attitude was some childish sort of denial. But then again, he couldn't be certain. When it came to Arthur, he was at his wit's end. 

"It seems you have no choice but to get used to each other, don't you think?"

"Great advice, Merlin. Thanks a lot. I can't get used to someone who hates me." Arthur made a pause and Merlin was quite positive that he was pouting right now. "Anyways, can't you just tell me something to cheer me up a little bit?"

Merlin shrugged: "It'll be all right."

"You're a genius, Merlin." Arthur said sarcastically, "How can I ever show my gratitude?"

_click_

You could get out of my head, Merlin thought, staring at the micro and feeling lost for a second...

 

`~ June 29th ~`

 

_ring, ring_

"You've reached _Lovesick – Just another dickhead dumped me_ , I'm Merlin and you're on air. Tell me about your problems."

"You know my problems, Merlin."

"Morgana, again?"

"She's such a hag."

"No kidding?"

"Nope. She's mean. And evil."

"Arthur?"

"…"

"Arthur, are you drunk?"

"...maybe..."

"You should go to sleep, Arthur."

"But I want to talk to you!"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Now you're mean too."

_click_

Merlin oppressed a sigh. This guy couldn't be serious, could he?

_ring, ring_

"Hello?"

God, that was really unprofessional. He had to tell Arthur to piss off, before he would ruin his career. Or his sanity. For the last days he hadn't been able to stop thinking why he hadn't called. And that was just plain crazy, wasn't it? 

"Thank God, I've finally reached you! Do you have any idea how complicated it is to get through your lines?! And I need some advice, ok? - I'm Susan by the way and..."

Merlin closed his eyes, fingers sliding over his temples: "Hi, Susan..."

 

`~ July 2nd ~`

 

Arthur hadn't called and the night was almost over. Merlin was sitting on the extreme edge of the chair, playing with a pen and trying to concentrate on the voice in his ears, telling him something about his ex-girlfriend. It was rather boring and dull and every other second Merlin glanced up the wall clock, hating himself for his behaviour. He couldn't remember that anyone else had ever made him feel this way. He was restless. He was distressed. Just because some bloke – who was getting the concept of this entire show absolutely wrong – wasn't calling.   
But when he turned off the light in the early morning, he caught himself waiting for the phone to ring, to hear Arthur's voice at the other end...

 

`~ July 6th ~`

 

So many calls, yet none of them was the one he was waiting for. Merlin started to count the spider webs in the corners. Something had to be done.

 

`~ July 9th ~`

 

Still no Arthur. Work had never been that boring. Someone must have cleaned up, because there were no spider webs left. Dammit.

 

`~ July 15th ~`

 

Why wasn't he calling for god's sake?

 

`~ July 17th ~`

 

Merlin addressed a random caller as "Arthur". The rest of the night appeared to be eternal...

 

`~ July 18th ~`

 

It was very early in the morning, when Merlin closed the door of the studio, breathing into the cold air. The grey, insubstantial light was hurting his eyes. There was no way he could go to bed right now, no way to drive to his empty flat.  
And suddenly he knew what he had to do.

 

"Welcome to Happy Bagel, what can I do for you?"

"Errm... this might be a bit of an odd question, but is a guy named Arthur working here?"

"You're the third one this week, sunshine. Ever since he was foolish enough to announce his working place on this late night show, there is always someone looking for him. He seems to have made himself quite a name. I didn't even know he was such a talker."

"Is he in today by any chance?"

"You're lucky. His holidays are just over and his shift will start in five minutes."

"Thank you." Merlin felt his insides turning round, while he ordered a bagel and a coffee out of sheer helplessness. He wasn't even sure what he was doing here anymore. What was he going to do when Arthur would turn up eventually? What was he going to say? And what the hell was he expecting anyway?

This had been such a stupid idea. He should leave right now, preserving the last bit of dignity he was possessing. He turned around, only to bump into the guy who was standing there.

"Sorry." An apologising smile, white teeth and the bluest eyes Merlin could've imagined. "Hey, you dropped your bagel, I'll get you a new one, okay?"

There was no doubt. This was the same voice he had heard for the longest time, almost every night, complaining about all sorts of things. The voice he was missing so desperately.

The other man grabbed his hand and shook it, golden hair moving softly in the motion: "Hi, I'm Arthur." 

Merlin was staring at him, bug-eyed and completely bewildered. This was all a little bit too much.   
Arthur. Here. Right in front of him. Real and so unbelievable beautiful, that his brain refused to work completely. Through the radio, through the relative safety of his studio, it was so much easier to talk to total strangers. And this one wasn't a stranger at all. Well, kind of.

"Are you all right?" Arthur frowned. "You're a bit mute over there." A guilty expression appeared on his face. "Damn it, you _aren't_ mute, are you?" 

"N- no." Merlin shook his head, realizing that he was blushing. He wished really hard the ground would open and swallow him up, preferably in the next few seconds. There seemed to be a change in the way Arthur looked at him, but he wasn't sure if it was more than just his nervousness playing tricks on him.

"Give him a break, Arthur." The talky employee laughed from behind the counter. "He is one of your fans."

"Oh." 

Now Merlin was dead certain. A shadow crept on Arthur's face, taking away the bright smile and leaving only... disappointment...? 

"Well, I'm not doing this anymore." Arthur said, releasing his hand. "Calling on the show, I mean." He bit his lower lip. "I've said some things I regret, stupid stuff..." A little sigh. "It's over."

"No, that's not true." Merlin whispered and Arthur gave him a soft smile.

"I'm afraid so. You know, all this talk about my stepmother... she's really not that bad. Sure, she can be a witch sometimes, but it's not like we don't get along at all. But I needed a reason to call, didn't I? It was fun. It was nice." He grinned. "Maybe I've got carried away, but I couldn't stop calling." He stepped closer, putting both hands on Merlin's shoulders and looking right into his eyes. "But that's stupid, isn't it?" Merlin was too busy staring at him to give a reply. "It's stupid to stay awake all night, every night, talking to someone you've never seen in your entire life." He moved closer, until their lips almost touched and Merlin's heart took a leap. "It's really stupid to fall in love with a voice, right?"

And then Arthur was kissing him and the whole world ceased to exist for some seconds.   
When he pulled back it was totally quiet, everybody was watching them and Merlin didn't even know what to think anymore.

"I knew you would come." Arthur said matter-of-factly, like there hadn't been any doubt at all.

"How did you know...?" 

Arthur smirked: "I should recognize your voice by now, shouldn't I?" Suddenly he was serious again. "What the hell took you so long?"

Merlin looked up at him, a smile slowly spreading on his face: "To be honest... I'm not that into bagels..."

 

**The End**


End file.
